Chasing Dreams, Year Two Read online

  The door clicked open.

  Evelyn stepped over his words, “– we’ll be making sure someone checks in on you. If you aren’t following the recovery orders that they give you, we’re not going to let it go. You need rest. Your team is going to need you in a few months.” She was all business as the nurse came in.

  Daniel fixed her with a scowl, as if to suggest this wasn’t over yet. But he surrendered as a nurse bustled over to him, his doctor on her heels.

  He didn’t recognize the nurse; there must have been a shift change. But Doctor Katrin Jennings had been on his case since he had come in earlier that day. He thought she had to be getting to the end of her shift and hoped she would cut him loose before he got handed off to someone else.

  The doctor found her best smile, “Glad to hear someone is talking sensibly in here. Are you feeling alright, Mr. Toussaint?”

  Her concern seemed genuine. That was a gift all in itself. Daniel was a known man on the island. For some, a marked man. Not everyone believed he was innocent of the drug charges. He actually thought the people in his corner were the minority. People in the medical community were often twice as harsh in their judgment of him. He got that. Abusing drugs and running risks by using steroids was probably twice as heinous to healthcare professionals who stitched people back together for a living.

  Fortunately, either Katrin didn’t have strong feelings about it, or she was one of those who thought he was innocent. He knew she had to be aware of who he was. He had no doubt that was why a tox screen had been one of the tests she ordered. The police might have believed him, but he shuddered to think what a commotion it would have caused him if they had found illicit drugs in his system.

  Daniel met Katrin’s smile. “Not 100%, but I’m getting there.”

  “You’re sure? The nurses said they got a few unusual readings right before we came in.”

  Daniel coughed, raising a hand to smother his laugh. He did the best he could not to glance guiltily toward either Evelyn or Cadence, both of whom were feigning innocence. “I’m sure they did. Probably just my reaction to the good news Miss Foster here brought for us.”

  “Care to share?”

  “I’m afraid it’s confidential. Covered under an NDA until the news goes public,” Evelyn slid in smoothly.

  Katrin didn’t miss a beat, bobbing her head. “Totally get it. Still might be an hour or so before we can get you out of here.”

  Evelyn said, “Daniel mentioned as much. I’m afraid we need to get going, Cadence. The client can’t wait long. His flight leaves right after your meeting. I gave you as much time as I could to make sure your coach was alright, but an early dinner was the best that your agent could arrange. I volunteered to get you there on time.” Her words were a jumble of half-truths and white lies, but her lovers deciphered and extracted her message: as much as they wanted to be there for him, they needed to get moving.

  Cadence let out a sad sigh, turning her mournful eyes on Daniel. “You’ll be alright?”

  “MK texted me that she was in the waiting room. Told her to go get something to eat, but she’ll be back to drive me home.”

  Cadence smiled supportively. “Great. We need to talk later about that. I hope you’re still intending to help her.”

  “I am,” Daniel affirmed. “Like you said, we’ll talk later about how that’ll impact your schedule. Lots of coaches have more than one athlete. We’ll figure it out.”

  Cadence was sharp enough to hear his second and third layers of meaning. “Alright. Talk soon. Hopefully, I’ll have some more good news!”

  “No doubts on my end. They’d be crazy not to see you for what you are,” Daniel didn’t have to fake any confidence in her. He knew what he was looking at. She was a rocket that had just started to launch. She had a lot higher to fly.

  Her smile glowed all the brighter as she felt his unshakable confidence wash over her. Giving Evelyn a nod of readiness, she made for the door.

  Evelyn tried to hide her fond smile, her regard for him made deeper by his devotion and belief in their lover. Carried on the clicks of those lovely heels, she escorted Cadence out of the room and off to meet her hopeful sponsors.

  Once they were gone, Katrin bestowed a warm smile on him. “Good friends?”

  “You have no idea,” Daniel sighed. “I always thought I had good friends in my life. But until you find people like them, you don’t realize what true friendship really is.” He cleared his throat. “Sorry. I got all weird there.”

  “Not weird. Maybe a little melodramatic, but you’re allowed when you’re hopped up on strong painkillers.” She tapped her chart. “Speaking of which, your script should be ready for you at the pharmacy on your way out. Are you sure you don’t want a few more? No reason to be a hero. I’m glad you were adamant before about staying away from anything too addictive, but proper pain management can help you get mobile when you should. That can be healthy.”

  “Don’t worry, Doc.” Daniel chuckled. “Your concern shouldn’t be about me moaning about how much pain I’m in and not getting out of bed. I’m more likely to push it too hard.”

  “Both are just as bad as the other. Listen to what I told you. Steady improvements. Consistent rehabilitation is better than going all out and then crashing and burning. Hear me?”

  “Yes, Ma’am.” He mimed a mock salute her way.

  He fully intended to follow her instructions. Every word.

  Now he only had to hope his lovers embraced the spirit of her warning as well. Because if they teased him even half as much as they had implied, he’d probably end up back in the hospital by the end of the week.

  * * *

  At some point, Mary-Katherine Savoie had managed to sneak in a shower and change out of the clothes she had been in all night after being thrown out of her parents’ house. Despite the fresh purple shirt and clean denim-jeans she had donned, she was looking a little haggard.

  While Cadence had been partying with Irène Minot, MK had been up wandering the streets for a lot of the night. She should have been out celebrating her silver medal in the 100-meter hurdles. Most of the medalists had been surrounded by friends and family, but her family and coach had chosen to cut her loose. Gregoire Rimouldi had decided to spend his time abducting Daniel and locking him into a container bound for South Africa as a twisted, deadly joke. The next Olympics were going to be in Cape Town, but arriving dead in a lightless steel cage was not how Daniel wanted to get there.

  MK had every reason in the world to hate everyone right about then. Daniel wouldn’t have blamed her one bit for being bitter beyond all reason. Instead, she had forgone those dark thoughts and helped get Daniel to the hospital. For that reason alone, he knew she was the sort of person that deserved his help.

  Not to mention that she had genuine skills. The opponent that had taken the gold medal had serious talent, but Daniel honestly didn’t think Dior DeLavar was in a whole different class. With proper coaching, MK had a shot. Daniel knew it. If he could offer MK one gift in return for all she had done for him, it would be to help her realize it as well.

  Those warm intentions filled him as he entered the waiting room. He was limping a little, favoring one side. He managed an abbreviated wave before he felt the pain of his damaged ribs. Fortunately, none of the bones had actually snapped into pieces; merely a couple cracks. Those were bad enough. But none of that was enough to make him go for crutches or to be rolled out in a wheel chair. He was determined to get to the car under his own power.

  As he got closer, Daniel measured her tired eyes. “You alright to drive?”

  MK flashed him a cheerful smile. “You may have to keep me talking to keep me awake, but I’ll get you back to your place. Then… you know, I might crash on your sofa for, oh, about a year. But I’ll get you home. Need a hand?” She edged closer, offering herself to lean on.

  “Nope,” he answered as confidently as he could. “I got this.”

  “Uh huh. Well, try and give me a heads-up before you st
art to keel over. Not sure I could stop you from hitting the ground, but I’ll slow your collapse on the way down.” MK smirked, but let him get away with the show of bravado.

  “I’ll keep that in mind,” he replied with a thankful laugh. She even knows when to let me hold onto my stupid pride. Oh yeah, she’s going to fit right in.

  He walked at a pace that wouldn’t cause him to end up flat on his face if he happened stagger. They made it to the car without incident. He didn’t object as MK held the passenger door open for him. He had pride, but he wasn’t a total idiot. The mere idea of trying to heave the door closed on the side of his damaged ribs was torture.

  After sealing him in, MK rounded to the far side and got behind the wheel. She pulled out into the late-afternoon sunshine and pointed down the road toward Evelyn’s suburban mansion.

  For a few minutes, they were quiet. Eventually, MK’s fatigue compelled her to prompt a little conversation to keep herself alert. “I wanted to say thank you for offering what you did. I mean, along with Cadence. It’s been a huge weight off my mind knowing that I won’t have to sleep on the streets tonight.”

  Daniel didn’t instantly reply, thinking it over from her side of things. MK had been born on the nicer side of town to a wealthy family. It had probably made her life easier. But being tossed out of that comfy home and stripped of most of her possessions was probably terrifying. He figured that most of her expenses had been paid for by her parents. His parents had cared for him, but by the time he was entering his twenties, he had managed to put some money away. He suspected MK didn’t have that to fall back on. Being cast out onto the street meant you had a lot fewer options when starting at absolute zero. She probably hadn’t learned many of the tough life-lessons you received living on the rougher side of life.

  He didn’t get the impression that MK was spoiled. Just unarmed. Abandoned without a chance at preparation. He wasn’t going to pity her. That was a good way to piss her off. But he could recognize when someone needed a little charity. Over the course of life, most people did.

  Instead of focusing on her compliment, Daniel deflected. “I spoke with Miss Foster… Evelyn.” He made the correction deliberately, using her first name as a way to invite MK into their circle of trust.

  “You convinced her to let me stay?”

  “I wouldn’t say she took much convincing.” Daniel couldn’t help a fond smile from appearing. “She’s an insightful woman. And a kind one. She would have been disappointed if we hadn’t already offered to help.”

  “Oh, good,” MK said. There was a sense of awkward nervousness around her. Leaping into the heart of it, she said, “So… You… and Cadence… and Miss Fo… I mean, Evelyn?”

  She didn’t have to say anymore. Daniel let out a wry laugh. “I know. It sounds… complicated. It really isn’t.”

  “How… I mean…”

  “I’m not sure it would happen again if we lived those same days a thousand times over. But it happened. It just worked out. Then, we realized we didn’t want to spend time apart. If you asked us to explain it, it probably wouldn’t make sense.” A smile came to him as he reached a simple truth. “But we don’t need to explain it to anyone.”

  MK absorbed all that. At last, she whispered back, “Then I guess… thanks. For trusting me with that.”

  “We need to, if this is going to work. With you living in the pool house, I don’t think it’s possible we’d be able to keep it secret for long. Especially if I’m going to train you. Cadence and I keep it serious on the field. But I know I’d slip up eventually during training with you both. Some random flirtation. Referencing a date that we had planned. Spending a lot of time with Evelyn. You’d know something was going on.” He shrugged. “That is way too many secrets to juggle, and I’m not good at that sort of thing.”

  He paused, then switched tactics. “There’s another side to that as well. You know I’m a different style of coach than Gregoire. That goes beyond the not yelling, swearing or hitting anyone.” He rolled his eyes, trying not to dwell on how much he hated that man. He isn’t worth the time, he told himself. “This isn’t solely about me trusting you to put in your best effort. You need to trust that I’m looking out for you. I might suggest a few things that are going to seem wrong at first. I’ll try to explain them. I won’t keep you in the dark. But there will come a time when you just have to trust that I know what I’m talking about.” He gave another shrug. “If you’re constantly suspecting that I’m keeping something from you, you might think that I didn’t have your best interests at heart. This way is better.” He cast a glance over at her. “That said, we do need you to keep it all quiet. Are you willing to do that? I know it isn’t fair. You found out before we really had a chance to tell you. Now you have few options. For that, I’m sorry.”

  “It’s fine! Honestly. I mean… it’s strange. But if it makes you all happy, then who am I to say anything that would ruin it?” She let out a brief laugh. “Not sure anyone would believe me, anyway.”

  “Good,” Daniel said. “Keep talking to us, alright? We are what we are to each other, but you’re part of the team now. We won’t cut you out of any decisions that affect you. That’s part of the whole trust thing. But that means I need you to tell me if there’s a problem creeping up in your life. I don’t want to be blindsided. Alright?”

  “You got it,” MK answered quickly. Then, a shy smile crept onto her face. “Ummm… problem number one?”

  Daniel chuckled. “That was fast. Alright, shoot.”

  “My parents cut me off. I mean, seriously cut me off.”

  “Yeah. I’ve been assuming the worst. Do you have money to live on at all?”

  “No,” she answered, sounding a touch desperate.

  “Don’t worry. The government is about ready to announce the grant money they’ll be handing out. That’s not the same as getting a spot on the Olympic team, but you’ll be on the long-term Portesaran roster. You won’t be rich, but you’ll have enough for food and a little equipment. If you want to move out into an apartment and go it alone, you might be able to stretch what they give you, but the pool house is going to be a hell of lot more comfortable. Not to mention convenient, since we can train together.”

  MK looked a little relieved. “You really think I’ll get a stipend?”

  “Like I said, not a huge one. They aren’t going to have enough to support every athlete and coach that attended Nationals. But I’d say every medalist will get a small portion to encourage them to keep training.”

  Nerves crept back in on her. “I… don’t think that’s going to be enough to pay you. Not after you took Cadence all the way to a gold. People are going to be hunting you down to coach them or their kids. You should be one of the best paid coaches in the country.”

  Daniel huffed. “Yeah, well… a few months ago, I might have been glad for that. But lately? I’m beginning to think I’d hate my life if I went that way. Taking on any talentless client who was willing to pay.” He scowled. “Not saying it will never come to that. Not even saying that a rich kid can’t show talent or isn’t worthy of my time.”

  “Hope not!” MK blurted, managing a trace of humor despite the troubles that had cost her a place in her family.

  Smirking at her jest, he kept going, “All I’m saying is that there are plenty of coaches for rich people to hire. I like the idea of being there for someone who doesn’t have those resources. It feels good to be helping people with talent because I believe in them. No reason to pay me.”

  “But… I mean…”

  “What?”

  “That’s… I mean, that’s not the way this works! I can’t just let you train me for free!” MK blurted out.

  “Why not? I’ll get a small stipend as well. Evelyn is being kind enough to look after the one’s and zero’s for now. All I ask is you put your heart and soul into this.” He grinned. “That’s not too much, is it?” Then, he pointed out, “Cadence doesn’t pay me, either, you know. She never did.”

&nb
sp; MK nodded, saying, “Umm, yeah… I mean, I didn’t know that at first. I thought you were her boyfriend helping her train, you know? Then I wondered if you were just taking advantage of her, but you don’t seem like the kind of guy that would do that. And Cadence isn’t the type of girl that would let that happen.”

  He beamed from within, thinking back on the day Cadence had seduced him and enabled the wonderful situation he was now in. “You’re right on both counts. We’re not. I couldn’t have lived with myself. We both needed something to believe in. I saw talent in her. She needed someone to listen to her dreams rather than telling her they couldn’t happen. We’ve been that for each other longer than we’ve been… you know… more.” He glanced across the car at her again. “I believe in you, too. You’re a step ahead of where Cadence was when I met her. You’ve already taken the first steps. People have helped you take them. They simply lost faith too early, largely because they were jackasses.”

  “Calling my parents jackasses?” She laughed.

  “Maybe not to their faces,” Daniel chuckled. “Sorry. I know you probably love them. Families are like that. You know Cadence had to deal with a family crisis of her own. I still don’t think it sits well with her, how it all turned out. Turning your back on a family isn’t easy, even when it’s the right thing to do.”

  She nodded, shaken as she relived the recent events that had brought her there. “You can say that again.”

  “So… yeah, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to call them that. That was more for Gregoire. Still, I have no idea how long it’s going to be before your family realizes the huge mistake they made. If they do, then great. I hope you reconcile. If they don’t… well, we’re not going anywhere. We’ll support your dream moving forward. I hope you’ll come to believe that.”

  MK risked a glance over at him. “Will you promise me one thing?”

  “If I can.”

  “If… I mean, if I… want to try and… you know, forgive my parents…”

  “Yeah?”